About Dave Norris
Charlottesville Mayor and City Council Candidate
VoteForDave.org
Since moving to Charlottesville 15 years ago, I have been very involved in efforts to enhance the quality of life in our community. In my professional life as a non-profit director, in my civic life as an advocate for affordable housing, social justice and the environment, and in my personal life as a father of two wonderful children (Eli, 12, and Chloe, 9), I have enjoyed being an active member of the Charlottesville community. My family and I feel blessed to live in such a caring, engaged and lively city.
I currently work as Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge. Before that, I was the founding Executive Director of PACEM, an interfaith ministry that provides shelter and meals to homeless men, women and children during the cold winter months. In previous positions, I've served as Associate Director of Madison House, as Interim Director of PHAR (the Public Housing Association of Residents), as founding Director of the Connecting People to Jobs Initiative (a joint venture between PHAR and Piedmont Virginia Community Colllege), and as Coordinator of the Virginia Economic Development Corporation's Micro Loan Program for low-income, minority and female entrepreneurs.
Over the years, I have been honored to serve on a number of Boards, Commissions and Coalitions, including:
- Charlottesville Redevelopment & Housing Authority Board of Commissioners
- MACAA (Monticello Area Community Action Agency) Board of Directors
- PHAR Advisory Board
- Piedmont Housing Alliance Board of Directors
- Westhaven Nursing Clinic Coalition
- Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless
- JABA (Jefferson Area Board of Aging) 2020 Community Plan for Aging
- Friends of Equitable and Affordable Housing
- Virginia COOL (Campus Outreach Opportunity League) Board of Directors
I am also the proud founder of the Charlottesville Vegetarian Festival, which draws thousands of people to downtown Charlottesville each year to eat good food and support local businesses & organizations committed to peace, ecology and natural health.
Finally, I am a 1997 graduate of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce's "Leadership Charlottesville" program, a 2003 graduate of the Quality Community Council's "Explorations in Excellence" leadership development program, and a 2006 graduate of the Sorensen Institute's "Candidate Training Program." I was named one of the "Distinguished Dozen" by the Daily Progress for 2005 and was honored as "Virginia Citizen of the Year" (for my work with PACEM) in 2005 by the Virginia Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.
On a personal note, I was born into a military family at Fort Belvoir, VA, in 1970 and spent much of my childhood in and around Northern Virginia. After graduating from high school in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1987, I received a B.A. in Politics & History from Curry College in Milton, MA, and an M.A. in Government from the College of William and Mary. Following a brief stint working in state government in Richmond, I moved to Charlottesville in 1995 and have lived in various parts of the city ever since. I bought an old house in Belmont in 2005 and am happy to call Belmont home.
See VoteForDave.org for more information about Dave Norris.